Matt Payne is a mountain climber and fine art nature and landscape photographer living in Durango, Colorado. In 2018, Matt completed his life-long goal of climbing the highest 100 mountains in Colorado, where his love of photography was kindled. Since 2017, Matt has hosted a weekly podcast dedicated to nature photography called “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen.” Matt is also the co-founder of Nature First Photography, an organization created in 2018 to help increase ethical awareness in nature photography. Lastly, Matt is the co-creator of the Natural Landscape Photography Awards, an international photography competition that rewards and celebrates nature photographers who dedicate themselves to photographing and editing their work in a realistic fashion.
When not engaged in some sort of photography project, Matt can be found hiking, backpacking, or watching sports. Matt lives with his teenage son, Quinn, his wife, Angela, and his four cats, Juju, Chara, Arrow, and Vestal.
Open Workshops
- South of France and Camargue — May 15 – 24, 2024 (1 Spot Left)
- Svalbard — July 4 – 14, 2024 (1 Spot Left)
- Olympic National Park — July 22 – 28, 2024 (2 Spots Left)
- Mt. Rainier — July 29 – August 3, 2024 (2 Spots Left)
- Bisti Badlands — September 2 – 8, 2024 (1 Spot Left)
- San Juan Mountains — September 27 – 29, 2024
- Death Valley — December 5 – 10, 2024
- Norway — January 30 – February 8, 2025
- Sail the Chilean Fjords — March 23 – April 5, 2025
- Smoky Mountains — April 25 – 29, 2025
- Cirque of the Towers — July 17 – 23, 2025
- Tombstone — August 24 – 31, 2025
- Bisti Badlands — September 16 – 22, 2025
- Scotland Castles and Color — October 17 – 27, 2025
- Scotland Highlands and Isle of Skye — October 28 – November 6, 2025
- Death Valley in Black and White — December 5 – 10, 2025
Sold Out Workshops
- Smoky Mountains — April 25 – 29, 2024
- Paris — May 8 – 15, 2024
- Big Bend — June 3 – 9, 2024
- Colorado Colors — September 29 – October 3, 2025
From my high perch near Dolores, Colorado, I was able to witness an incredible sunset illuminating a massive aspen and pine forest and the glorious La Plata Mountains in the distance, including 13,232 foot Hesperus Mountain.
Lately I have been trying to find more simple scenes that convey the stories that are told through the changing landscape during autumn. I discovered this set of three trees near Kebler Pass on a short hike from my campsite. I was really fond of how the ferns embraced the trees and provided one last grip on life in the forest.
This telephoto image is quite possibly my favorite one that I was able to make in Death Valley National Park on my first visit to the area. A persistent wind storm stirred up the sand and blew it across the dunes, creating energy and depth while providing an excellent subject through which the light transformed this scene into something a bit magical.
On my final evening at Island Lake near Silverton, Colorado, I was captivated by the early sunset light beaming into the basin, illuminating the marsh marigold flowers and the final remnants of snow. Nature rocks.
On a freezing autumn afternoon, I embarked on a long hike off-trail to one of my favorite spots in all of Colorado and arrived just in time to witness one of the most magical displays of light I've ever seen in my life. This light display lasted for almost 2 hours into sunset and absolutely stunned me to my core. Early on in the show, these light beams illuminated the forest and river 1,000 feet below me in the valley.
I met my friends Kane and Shane at a remote campsite near Silverton, Colorado to enjoy a nice weekend and to photograph wildflowers. We were greeted with absolutely awful weather but the next morning we awoke to this beautiful scene. Red Mountain and Hayden Mountain reflected in a small tarn with reeds growing in the water. I loved the reflection of Hayden mountain in the distance and the pine trees with Red Mountain - a nice combination indeed!
After a 20+ mile backpack into Colorado's Chicago Basin in the Weminuche Wilderness Area, my climbing partner and I got an early start at 3 AM to ascend North Eolus Peak's 14,000 ft. summit before sunrise. We were joined by mountain goats on the summit (one is in the photo, but hard to see) and enjoyed one of the most memorable sunrises in my lifetime. Directly east of us below the sun was the formidable 14,000 ft. peaks Sunlight Peak and Windom Peak (which we climbed later that day and the day after). To the right (south) towered Eolus Peak and to the left getting hit by intense light were Turret Peak and Pigeon Peak, two of the more rugged peaks in the area. Also visble in this photograph are my favorite peaks in Colorado - Vestal Peak and Arrow Peak (left of middle, sticking up like a sore thumb), Jagged Mountain, Jupiter Peak, and more. You can even make out Uncompahgre Peak and Wetterhorn Peak on the horizon as well as Rio Grand Pyramid. If you can't tell, I'm a total Colorado mountain geek.
Shortly after exiting the Drake Passage south of Ushuaia, Argentina, our trip took us through the South Shetland Islands. I was immediately blown away by this mountain, aptly named, "Sharp Peak." It rises just 1,174 ft. above the sea, but is one of the most impressive things I've ever seen!
I first encounted this rare set of trees in 2019 and decided to revisit them on a long hike through the forest near Crested Butte, Colorado. The light was absolutely sublime for this black and white rendering of these tightly spaced aspen trees. The texture and patterns on display here really captivated me.
Back in September, I climbed an obscure mountain near Telluride, Colorado called S10, which afforded me beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, including Lone Cone to my south. As I hung out on the summit, I was amazed by this incoming storm that dropped significant moisture on the nearby hills and plains between me and Lone Cone. It is rare moments like these that keep me coming back to nature as a photographer. Enjoy!
I photographed this scene as part of a 30-mile backpacking / mountain climbing adventure here in Southwest Colorado near my home in Durango. My plans got altered by a swift shift in the clouds after being stuck in a thunderstorm all day -the clouds just evaporated and so I had to scramble (literally) to find a new composition. I decided at the last second to ascend half way up West Trinity Peak on loose boulders to get this vantage of Vestal Peak’s Wham Ridge and Arrow Peak at sunset. I think it worked out well to also include the sunstar. I was fortunately also able to safely climb down in the late evening light back to my campsite in the valley below. The Grenadier Mountains of the Weminuche Wilderness Area are so incredible.
On my maiden voyage to Iceland, I was lucky enough to witness incredible displays of the Aurora Borealis near the coastline of the beautiful Southeast part of the island. These jagged peaks are part of an incredible network of fjords, carved out by glaciation. On this particular night, my group frantically drove east from our cottage near Hofn to find a suitable subject to pair with the Aurora. I found tide pools, ocean waves, and incredible jagged mountains to go with the Aurora's powerful display of magic. What a night to remember!
The imfamous Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon Coast with the Milky Way rising above.
In September, 2018, I experienced one of the more exhilarating moments from my photography adventures to date. My friend and I backpacked to a remote location west of Carbondale, Colorado that he had found on Google Earth. We chose this location for its unique vantage of 14,131 ft. Capitol Peak and hoped there would be a nice pairing of autumn color to go with that view. We spent hours on this remote ridge looking for the absolute best compositions. A storm rolled through the area and we both thought our chances of photographing Capitol Peak at sunset were ruined until at the very last moment of light created by the setting sun, a beam of intense red light cast amazing color across the west and south faces of Capitol Peak. The amount of red in the rock was absolutely intense and fabulous. One of the best moments of the year for me.
Colorado Elk Mountains 14er Castle Peak and Conundrum Peak bathed in red from early morning alpenglow as seen from the summit of Cathedral Peak.
Our ancestors enjoyed this view of Monument Valley for generations. I felt incredibly lucky to be able to witness such a powerful scene atop Hunt's Mesa in Arizona.
Upon my first visit to Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in Northern Arizona, I was graced with one of the longest and most wonderfull'y beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. The sun had set a good 45 minutes before this shot was taken, yet the red light still diffused through the atmosphere and lit up the clouds above me. This late red light also cast a soft light on the white rocks here and made for a quite inviting scene. I really loved how the small pool here looked like a dragon's eye.